Dick Clark's Rockin new Years Eve.

[opimus]

Did any body watch it and has Dick gotten any better?

[DoorNumberFour]

[quote name=\'opimus\' post=\'173572\' date=\'Jan 1 2008, 06:55 PM\']
Did any body watch it and Dick gotten any better?
[/quote]
Mr. Clark's speech is much better than it was last year. He looked happy to be on the show, and his count from 10 down before midnight was almost dead on.

[bandit_bobby]

I think Dick's speech since his stroke has slowly gotten better as time goes on.

[Casey]

It seemed to me that he seemed more mobile as well.  If I remember from previous years, it seemed like he didn't have much mobility in one arm and he was seen holding a pen or something in it, but this year he seemed to have regained that.  He did seem very happy to be there, and as was said, he was able to get through the countdown on time and without losing his breath like in previous years.

[narzo]

It was honestly very hard for me to watch.  There's that same face, unchanged in so many years and without a sign anything could be wrong, so it kind of broke my heart to hear the voice.  Sure he's improved but it still just left me a little bit sad.

[davemackey]

[quote name=\'DoorNumberFour\' post=\'173574\' date=\'Jan 1 2008, 06:57 PM\']
[quote name=\'opimus\' post=\'173572\' date=\'Jan 1 2008, 06:55 PM\']
Did any body watch it and Dick gotten any better?
[/quote]
Mr. Clark's speech is much better than it was last year. He looked happy to be on the show, and his count from 10 down before midnight was almost dead on.
[/quote]
Ten? He counted all the way back from 20 and didn't miss a number. Good for him.

I was watching with a lobby full of people at the bed and breakfast I was staying at this weekend and there was a lot of sympathy for the man. I am happy he made progress. Some stroke victims never even get as far as Mr. Clark has come in three years.

[clemon79]

I was hoping he would sound a little better. I suppose there's a good chance that it's not going to *get* a lot better, and that's a bummer. I do find it interesting, though, that his first segment is always a little shaky, and then he gets better as (his part of) the night goes on. You'd think it would be the other way around.

That said, it was clearer than ever that his mind is still there, he was indeed WAY more mobile (to the point of gesticulating with both arms in his inimitable style) and he was having fun. And that's plenty good enough for me.

[DrBear]

Agreed - the voice is not what it once was - but he still sounds a bit better than, say, Kirk Douglas. And it's clear the mind and personality are still there; he's just having a bit of trouble with the mechanics. And I agree - he looked very happy to be there and contribute.

[narzo]

BTW, where does the Prof get off saying the segments were pre-taped?  If they were then ABC deserves credit for the best special effects ever because when his wife comes out the kiss him the camera moves.  If the backgrounds were keyed it would have been obvious at that point.

[PYLW]

I was very surprised. His speech sounds so much better as compared to last year. I just felt glad that he is looking and sounding a bit better.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'narzo\' post=\'173583\' date=\'Jan 1 2008, 06:10 PM\']
BTW, where does the Prof get off saying the segments were pre-taped?  If they were then ABC deserves credit for the best special effects ever because when his wife comes out the kiss him the camera moves.  If the backgrounds were keyed it would have been obvious at that point.
[/quote]
Not necessarily (to wit: the keyed ads on baseball field padding, the first-and-ten line on football).

That said, they sure as hell looked live to me, too, and honestly, I couldn't see Dick doing the show if it wasn't. I would be interested in getting corroboration on this from someone who I can trust a little better than the Perfesser.

/and I would completely understand the Perfesser having a complex about Dick Clark

[tvwxman]

[quote name=\'narzo\' post=\'173583\' date=\'Jan 1 2008, 09:10 PM\']
BTW, where does the Prof get off saying the segments were pre-taped?  If they were then ABC deserves credit for the best special effects ever because when his wife comes out the kiss him the camera moves.  If the backgrounds were keyed it would have been obvious at that point.
[/quote]
Not sure that's true. The Fergie stuff was taped weeks ago.

There is a scene where Dick and Ryan were in the same room (around 12:10), and Dick was giving Ryan crap for being out of breath after running up there....so I'd be willing to bet that Steve Beverly is wrong. Again.

[BrandonFG]

Here's a Youtube clip from last nite. He does sound better from last year, and his recovery has been nothing short of amazing, esp. considering his age.

[Joe Mello]

I think the way it works is that the non-NYC segments are taped, but everything else is live.  But that's just what I think.

[Casey Buck]

My only complaint (not about Dick) is that they only showed the last 20 seconds of the ball dropping. In previous years, they showed the entire minute-long drop.